The four EU projects Drive2theFuture, Mediator, Trustonomy and HADRIAN address similar human-centered topics on development of automated driving in Europe. Therefore, the four projects convened in a clustering event on March 10th, 2022 to identify common themes across their project. The main outcomes of this conversation are here summarized as three recommendations to the EU and OEMs to foster the human-centered development of automated driving in Europe. The details of this event are listed as appendix to this document. 

Recommendations to the EU increase use and acceptance of automated driving (AD) from the user perspective:

  1. Establish an EU regulatory institution that develops and applies a high level framework for the design, development, and operations of automated driving across Europe. Such institution seems needed to translate the many separate research and development efforts into a coherent mobility system. This seems required as a starting point for sufficient standardization across countries. Specifically:
    • Common principles for the interactions between different vehicle, road infrastructure, and existing road users need to be defined
    • Common principles and standards for human computer interfaces for AD, a set of principles for AD alerts are, for example, proposed by the HADRIAN project
    • To organize the long-lasting transition from current road operations to high levels automated driving
    • Establish Europe-wide competence centers for AD that can bring together members states, public, OEMs to develop converging standards for automated driving
  2. Establish harmonized and consistent curricula for drivers to develop the appropriate knowledge and competences for using AD. Specifically:
    • Education curricula for drivers that teaches the required knowledge as well the skills for safe usage
    • Education curricula for all other road users
    • Make education curricula useful for complementary and vehicle specific tutoring applications

 Recommendation to OEMs to increase use and acceptance of AD from the user perspective:

  1. To achieve high level user acceptance and widespread use of AD (both individual and on a societal level), focus developments around user benefits instead of around technical opportunities
    • Identify clear user benefits as basis for use cases for acceptable AD
      • Specific needs of specific populations are often overlooked, need to be taken into consideration (e.g. professional or elderly drivers)
      • Transition to manual driving remains a problem, human to solve what is “left over” by technical developments
      • J3016 taxonomy of AD is techno-centered, a more user-centered taxonomy is, for example, proposed by the Mediator project
    • Expand HCIs beyond “traditional vehicle displays”, and use an increasing range of interactions (e.g. adaptive to situational urgency and driver state, from a soft “seducing” to a strong “pervasive” intervention)
    • Do demonstrations in real world environments and road shows to increase awareness and general knowledge where and how AD meets user benefits